Julien Sales-Halbergsen

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Important Facts

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Junior tennis player for the Republic of the Philippines, and Argentina 1993-2000.

Grass	Clay	Hard/Indoor
1 (singles)	45 (singles)	6 (singles)
1 (doubles)	0 (doubles)	1 (doubles)

Notable Titles/Facts: Philippine Junior Tennis Championships (95, 96, 97 *see below) University of Miami NCAA (2001)

• Youngest ever winner at age 12 years 0 months 2 weeks 3 days, 1995 Manila National Tennis Championships since inception.
• Youngest male winner of doubles title at 1996 National Tennis Championships in San Pedro de Laguna at age 12 years, 10 months, 3wks.
• Only player to win three consecutive National Championship Titles, on three different surfaces (1995: Clay (Manila) // 1996: Grass (San Pedro de Laguna) // 1997: Indoor Hardcourt (Muntinlupa City).
• 5th player (3rd male) to win singles and doubles National Titles in 1996 National Tennis Championships in San Pedro de Laguna since 1908.
• 10th player in hitory to win the elusive "Triple Crown" winning boys singles, boys doubles, and mixed doubles at the 1996 Open de la Communidad Zambuangueña.
• 3rd longest win-streak on clay (longest male) winning 87 matches without dropping a set in 1995-1996 season.
• 2nd person in history to win entire Spanish Tour in 1999 with titles in Valencia, Madrid, Cantabria, Sevilla, Lisbon, Gibraltar, Morocco, and Malaga (won all 10 int'l titles in one year, in addition to 4 titles in National Fixture)
• Titles by Season, Year End Ranking (National) (International)
• 2002: 1 (21) (9999)
• 2001: 4 (7) (127)
• 2000: 4 (5) (92)
• 1999: 14(2) (13)
• 1998: 3 (9) (73)
• 1997: 6 (2) (71)
• 1996: 8 (1) (88)
• 1995: 7 (1) (93)
• 1994: 3 (5) (9999)

Participated: Junior Davis Cup- Team Argentina (1995) Junior Davis Cup- Team Philippines (1996-99)

Grass	Clay	Hard/Indoor
29-20 (s)	203-12 (s)	45-14 (s)
13-3	20-19	18-5

Win/Loss Record: Singles: 277-46 Doubles: 51-27

Titles: Singles: 52

• (National Fixture(29): 95/96/97/98/00/01 Open de la Communidad Zambuanguena, 95/96/97 National Championships, 96/99/00/01 Copa Region Rizal, 95/97/99/01 Copa de la Communidad Cebuana, 96/97/98/99 Copa Azucar Filipina, 95/99/02 PLDT Cup, 96/97/00 President's Cup, 94/95 Moro Cup)
• (International(23): 97/99/01 Copa Macaniese 18- (Macao), 95/96 Cup of China 18- (Taiwan), 96/99 HK Trophy 16- (HongKong), 97 Princess Cup 18- (Tokyo, Japan), 94*/96/99 Open de Communidad Española *14-/18- (Vigo/Barcelona/Valencia, Spain), 94/99 Copa Real Madrileña 14-/18- (Madrid, Spain), 95/99 Open Seat de Godo (Cantabria, Spain), 99/00 Copa Real del Sevilla 18- (Seville, Spain), 99 Lisboa (Lisbon, Portugal), 99 Gibraltar County Open (Gibraltar, UK), 97/99 Copa Real de Morocco (Cueta, ESP), 98/99 Federation de Tennis Malaga Open (Malaga, Spain)

Doubles: 2

• (96 Nationals w/ Jason Constantino, 96 Open de la Communidad Zambuanguena w/ Alex Martinez-Guanio)

Mixed: 7

• (95/96/97/98 Open de la Communidad Zambuanguena, 96/97 Open de Filipinas, 96 Open Ilocandia all w/ Sandrine Mendoza-Schwartz)

Data	Preceded by	Year	Succeeded by
Year End No. 1	Gabriel Montiz (Aug 1993-Mar 1995)	Julien Sales-Halbergsen (Mar 1995-Sep 1997)	Etienne Sales-Halbergsen (Sep 1997-Mar 1998)
National Champion	Gabriel Montiz (1991/1994)	Julien Sales-Halbergsen (1995/1996/1997)	Juan-Carlos Madrigal (1998/2000)

• Wunderkind (Article from 12 April 1997 National Daily Tribune), by: Chito Galvan

It is a wonder how the win streak of the wunderkind can end, but as quickly as he is building them, just as quickly have can they end. At the tender age of 14, the country's reigning number one player and tennis champion is a testament to the lack of funding sports has in the country. While Japan boasts of players in the professional tour along with a band of up and coming juniors, the only thing we have to counter with is Julien Sales-Halbergsen. Not even a Filipino at birth, not even 50% Filipino, he has become the face of tennis. Our country is so lacking in athletic funding that kids like Sales-Halbergsen arrive fresh off the airport tarmac to dominate here where they fail to even show up on the radar in their home countries. Backed by Germanic genes, European mentality, and self-confidence unheard of, this child brings a soap-opera list of acting hyjinxes and actors when he plays his matches. So perfectly did he arrive in 1994 as the ultimate underdog in the National Championships held in Subic Bay, he blitzed through to the quarter-finals a lanky 11 year-old whose tongue was as sharpe as his forehand to beat three oponents aged 17-18 without a set lost. He is an ungracious player, often chewing gum, fiddling with his racquet, and yelping at his oponents mistakes; he was even more ungracious as a winner, literally skipping his way to the net with a wide grin clapping his hands and humming as if to rub it in. In the quarter-finals of San Fernando 94 Nationals, his childish grunts, racquet throwing, screaming, yelling, and stares at his coach (and father) did little to help him in a trashing by the eventual champion of that year (Gabriel Montiz), on national television the 11 year-old burst into tears and refused to shake hands at net. The boy was not rattled nor intimidated by his loss, his tears were as he says it, "because I could have won!". The following 1995 season, a rematch would ensue in November, wherein Mortiz at 18, in his final year as a junior would be decimated 6-4,6-4 at the National Championships Semi-Finals in Manila, by the 11 year old small wonder who went on to win the title. When a reporter asked how an eleven year old could do such damage, Sales-Halbergsen threw a tantrum. When asked why he refused to answer the question, he snapped, "I'm not eleven, I am eleven and a half!". Such is the dance with reporters, with such utter disrespect. He however possesed a charisma uniquely of his own that made publications want more; and a soap-operalike family background just as unique. The nephew of former President Aquino, Grand-Nephew of former President Laurel, god-son of current President Ramos is anything but short of economic and motivational backing, unlike his contemporaries. One might think that this extraordinary maternal-pedigree is what fuels this boy to reach for the top. His father is a fighter pilot for the Argentine Air Force who fought with the British during the Falklands War, and a successful businessman of German-Jewish background. If he gets his desire to be on top from his mother's side, he gets his guts to win from his father's side. In October of 1996, Sales-Halbergsen who once scoffed at grass courts as "a place to graze cows", after never winning a match at a grass court event after 3 attempts, defended his National title on grass with surgical precision, defeating his cousin Etienne Sales-Halbergsen in the final. What of other players? his twelve year old cousin whom he contested the national title with spoke ill of the no.1 player before the final, as if a boxing match E.S-H. said "I will make him eat grass" of J.S-H. The no.1 quickly countered by saying "I will eat grass? I am not vegetarian!". J.S-H. made such quick work of the no.2 cousin that the match seemed over before it had begun. The hype that was built up was a big fluke as a 6-1,6-2 thrashing ensued in 27 minutes. The wunderkind has already set records, as we speak he is the longest consecutive no.1 ranked player since 1977 passing the two year mark. He will be defending his 1995 and 1996 titles this November on a hard court; if he wins he will be the first player ever to win on three different surfaces, and will be the first player since 1982 to win three consecutive national tennis titles, and the youngest to do so at age fourteen. His competition, almostnon-existent! but fast on his heels is Philippine no.2 Etienne Sales-Halbergsen an introverted player who has the personality of a macaroni noodle, he knows J.S-H.'s game better than anyone. Then no.3, the 15 year-old Juan Carlos Madrigal, the eldest of the three, with a financial backing just as large as the two Sales-Halbergsens, with genetics of European origin, but the menatal fortitude of as J.S-H. puts it "thinks like an abandoned gold mine," referring to Madrigal's tendency to cave in to pressure. Gabriel Montiz no longer age-qualified for juniors play has placed his bet on his successor to win a third consecutive, but said, "Had I had German blood, and parents with a pocket full of money, I would have won three consecutive titles too". Typically, after hearing of this remark from Montiz, J.S-H. responded quickly by saying the smartest thing he has ever said, "Its not all genetics, it's not all about funding, its all about hard-work, its about your love of the game and your heart & soul pured into it, (with every match) I always ask myself how much I want it!" as if the world had changed, the J.S-H. we know and love came back to us and followed his statement with, "... Sound slike a sore loser to me!". Good going wunderkind! The country is waiting for your match, specifically:your post-match conference.

Data provided by Philippine Tennis Association, Page Edited by: Dep't of Education, Culture, and Sports